The First Daughter

Chapter Seventeen:


“Oh my gosh no! Let me do it!” I grabbed the gauze from Darren, and hurried into the tent. Here was the deal: Since the wound didn't completely heal (it was pretty deep) when my shoulder warmed up it seemed to have struck a nerve or something or maybe moved something to pinch my shoulder. But anyway So like of course they had to hit my shoulder in a particular spot so in order to bandage it I had to take my undergarments off. Now you see my predicament; Darren said that as a medic he wasn't going to, look, but still I hate the doctor, as much as I hate the dentist and I'm extremely modest, and I let no one see me like that.


So I slowly and painfully wrapped my chest all in gauze. Darren kept on insisting because of my cries of pain as I wrapped it. I was as stubborn as my mother, and I guess it didn't help that could have possibly made the wound slightly worse my trying to move my shoulder just a little too much.
“DONE!” I exclaimed as I took a pin and clipped the bandages together.
“Good!” Darren exclaimed, “Did you secure your shoulder?”


“Uhhh.... I just wrapped my chest in gauze I thought-”
“Well we have to restrict some movement so you don't hurt your arm even further.” Darren then added, “It's First Aid 101.”
I groaned.
“I think it would be better if I came in and did it myself.” Darren suggested. I groaned and shifted my shoulder.
“Yeah, I'll do it.” Darren finalized as he unzipped the tent door and came in, “You're covered now so...”
“Just get over with Darren.” I replied.


Darren chuckled and sat behind me and asked for the gauze. I tossed it behind me and apparently Darren caught it and started to work.
“Can you pull your hair away?” He asked. I pulled my pony tail away and held it up as Darren continued to wrap my shoulder. Again, his hands were steady firm and yet again gentle.
I bit my lip as my body started to burn with my cheeks as red, well it felt like an inferno. I hadn't felt like this since- Never mind.
I bit my lip and waited patiently for Darren to finish.
Darren then stopped at the top of my shoulder and held the gauze there, “Can you hand me a pin?”
I gently reached in front of me and handed Darren the clip. He took it and I mean, slooooowwly pinned the gauze together. Then his hand slightly touched my back and I stiffed like a board and swung completely around me and I saw Darren walk out as if nothing happened.


So then I relaxed and I did my best to put on my blue t-shirt and coat, and put on my three fingered archer's gloves and walked outside my tent. Lilly was making some a pot of chili or something on the fire, while Darren was checking his arsenal of weapons. When I came up they looked up at me and I slowly sat down on the ground.
We all looked at each other for something but we had nothing to give each other for conversation.


But I remembered my dreams, “I think,” I started, “We have a motive for Hades.”
“Oh really?” Darren replied sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes and replied, “Yeah, Hades wants to take over Zeus' place and rule as the King of Gods I guess.” I replied as I shrugged my shoulders and then winced at the pain in my shoulder: It wasn't a smart move.
“I, I even got in touch with Percy,” I added, “He sent us the Pegesi, and he was able to tell me where they were being kept.”
“Where?” Lilly asked.
“San Francisco.”


Darren seemed a little surprised, “That's where New Rome is, maybe we can swing by there to see if they maybe have something on, them.”
I looked up, “Darren,” I replied, sounding almost exactly like my Mother, “Our quest is to get my Mother out of prison before Hades possibly kills her and He takes advantage of the gods disarray.”
“Well kiddo, hate to disappoint but Dad,” He paused painfully before he continued, “Apollo, said that we had to rescue, the, Heroes, of, Olympus.”
Darren clenched his jaw and stared at the fire.


“Then...” Lilly spoke up, “What should we do?”
I looked around for a second, “Where can we enter Hades' realm?” I asked Darren.
He turned his head and replied, “Hollywood.” and looked away again.
“Well Hollywood is like closer right?” I asked.
Darren shook his head, “No, San Fran is west central of Cali, Hollywood is down south.”

I sighed and looked down at the fire again, I brought my knees up and rested my chin on the caps. I breathed in and slowly let it out, “Fine, we'll stop by Camp Jupiter, and see what we can do there.”

Then my alarms hit again and I raised my head and looked around like a deer. “We have to leave.” I stated, in a dead monotone voice.
Darren and Lilly didn't argue, Lilly tossed a thing of water of the fire and packed up the rice and beans or whatever it was, in a container and tossed it into her backpack. Darren and I hurried and took down our tents and saddled up the pegesi.


Before we could have saddled up, a shadow of some sort came up from the ground and grabbed Lilly. I turned around as Lilly screamed as she was being taken away. I grabbed my bow and fired without even thinking twice. The arrow flew and pain shot up my arm, I cried out and clutched my arm. My fingers tightened in my grip and my eyebrows furrowed: In my head I saw a group of the shadows like the one attacked me in The Big House, the noise, the hissing and groaning as if they were zombies, the smells, I knew exactly where everyone was.


I slowly opened my eyes and saw Darren helping Lilly, “Get on a pegesus!” I shouted, as I lumbered to the closest one to me and slung myself on. The Shadows came closer and surrounded the white pegesus (which I was on), as she stood. I lifted my legs as the little short things clawed for me.
Darren was helping Lilly onto Blackjack as the shadows surrounded them.
“BLACKJACK!” I screamed, “TAKE OFF!”
Darren barely had a chance to back away when Blackjack raised his wings and shot into the sky.


Suddenly the Shadows converged on Darren, hissing and groaning at him. They all pounced on his legs and Darren took up his short sword and swung at them. I looked around and saw Ace fighting Shadows of his own. I sheathed my knife and screamed, “ACE TO THE AIR!”
Ace snorted and he was gone in a flash.


“Fly low!” I shouted, “We're grabbing Darren!”
The white horse snorted with satisfaction, and lifted herself and we flew into the sky circling above and I shouted again, “DARREN GRAB MY HAND!” I extended my left arm, Darren took a risk and shot his arm up to grab, while the Shadow's attempted to bury him. Darren hacked at the Shadows and each turned to ash but was replaced by three others. Darren soon found that he couldn't move anymore. I reached harder as the pegesus and I flew close. Finally our hands clasped together and the pegasus soared into the sky.


As we flew higher above the ground I tried to pull up Darren, I groaned and forced myself to use my other arm and pulled him up. I groaned as he was able to climb up.
“Please be careful!” The mare called out.
Darren swung his leg over the mare's back and relaxed slightly at least Darren did.
I looked ahead as my shoulder throbbed, I groaned again and held my arm.


I half expected Darren to ask if I was ok, but he didn't. He didn't touch me or anything, not even to help gain balance and security on the pegesus. Darren seemed to not offer any conversation so I leaned forward, “So may I ask your name?” I asked the mare.
She laughed, “My name is Whisper.”
“Nice to meet you officially, or I guess I know your name now.”
Whisper laughed, “I guess I know your name as well.”
I laughed, and from a distance I heard screeching and Darren yelled out, “A Drakon!”


“What!” I turned my head and yes there was a Drakon on our tail.
“CAN'T WE HAVE A MOMENT'S PEACE?” I shouted, I turned my head back and kicked Whisper's flank and yelled, “See if we can re-group with the others!”
Whisper complied and beat her wings harder and faster.


I looked around the dark sky trying to find Lilly, Blackjack, and Ace, even my eyes strained to find them. I turned and looked at the moon behind us: it didn't have the the shine or glow it used to have. Darren looked up too and turned back to me, “It seems Apollo can't keep the moon like Artemis can!” He yelled.


I turned my head back and urged Whisper to go forward, she panted and snorted as she charged forward into the sky. I looked ahead again and I saw Lilly with Ace and Blackjack flying. I shouted to them, “Lilly! It's a Drakon! ACE TO ME!”
Everyone turned their heads and then Ace arched his body and dived down making a complete 180 and with a wavelike motion he climbed back up and caught up to us. Ace came along side Darren, Whisper, and I, and asked what was up.
“Darren get on him.” I ordered.
Darren shrugged and got up quickly standing on Whisper's back and then pranced and landed on Ace's back.


“What's the plan coach?”
I turned my head and saw Blackjack joining up with us as well with Lilly on his back. “Lilly fly on ahead with blackjack Darren and I can take the Drakon.”
“I want to help!” Lilly exclaimed.
I adjusted my sore shoulder and then squinted my eyes at her, “No offense Lilly but you have no fighting capabilities of any kind. I don't know why I asked you anyway to come on this quest!”
Lilly was taken aback for a moment then countered, “You let me cause I asked! I want to find my godly parent and I can't wait any longer!”
“Then stay alive and go ahead of us!” I shouted, “Blackjack! Take her!”
Blackjack snorted and then looked at me, and then I shouted forcefully at him, “GO!”
Blackjack then left with hesitation.


I turned to Darren, “Ready yourself!” I reach for my bow as a sharp pain shot up my back. I groaned and with my other arm pulled out a arrow and notched the arrow.
“How are you going to fight?” Darren asked me. “I'll manage.” I replied, “Don't worry about me.”
I looked behind and the Drakon was still pursuing and gaining, I turned back and explained the plan of attack:


“We're going to let it catch up to us and then we will circle above the Drakon: Darren, we're going to have to hold on for our lives and somehow grab it's attendtion. We'll divide and go into two different directions and turn around again and face the Drakon head on.”
“Pray to Ares that this works.” Ace commented.
The Drakon continued to get closer, and closer, I felt in my head. I didn't see him, or was it her? I heard the flapping of wings, felt the air moving, smelled her. It was familiar, that smell, the noise of the bat-like wings.


Both my shoulders pinged when I flashed back: back to the alley, back behind a satyr named Grover, the talons that came down and grabbed my shoulders and lifted me into the air. The Drakon screeched and I jumped back to reality and turned behind me and saw it was her! The Drakon that took me into the air and dropped me with a rocket hit us. But she didn't look, right, she was ash rebuilt into her old form. “Darren look!” I shouted, Darren turned his head and I asked if this ever happened.
“No!” They regenerate in Tarterus, and come back as the same as they were! They never came back as ash!”


I turned my head around and then shouted, “Circle round!” the pegesi stiffened their wings and then arched high and I clasped my legs as hard as I could around Whisper and I took my mother's bow and with that hand I grasped my remaining arrows and reached out with the hand that held the arrow, I reached out as the Drakon passed under me and attempted to get the Drakon's attention by cutting her straight down her back. But as the arrow passed through the ash flesh it just moved around the arrow like the aerodynamics of a car. My eyes widened in surprise as the circle made it's completion and Darren and I with our pegesi made the advance. I quickly got my bow as Darren reached for his and we both readied our bows and fired simultaneously and both hit the mark but the ash Drakon only turned around with unrealistic fire in her eyes.


It cackled and hacked as a language as it came to us, I fired again as Darren drew out his short sword in a great, SSSSSHHHHHIIIINGG! My arrow passed straighted through and I put up my Mother's bow and then pulled out my hunting dagger to defend myself. I held it parallel to my arm as Whisper charged forward. The Drakon barred her fangs at us, or was it just at me? Her eyes were leaving steaks of light as she flew straight to us and we, Darren and I, were coming on to her with full force. Darren
hit the Drakon first and tried to decapitate the Drakon but the sword just phased through the Drakon's ash skin again!


I followed up anyway with another attack with my hunting knife stabbing her face, but the knife went straight through and seemed to do no damage. She then quickly reached out with her clawed feet and and somehow was solid enough to hit me! I was unprepared for the hit and was knocked off Whisper and began to fall.


“HANNAH!” Darren yelled out, I screamed as I plummeted to the ground, and to my death.

Notes

So sorry i took forever to update!